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‘Tis the Season for wellness: A head start on holiday health

Amid the merriment of this season, it’s easy to neglect our own wellness. While we could wait until New Year’s to make resolutions, why not get proactive this year and get a head start on your personal health? Start now and by Jan. 1, you may already have some good habits in hand. Here are some ideas to help. Mindful eating, hydration, cheer This time of year, tables tend to be heavy with tempting treats. While we should enjoy our celebrations, moderation is key. Take time to enjoy each bite and appreciate the flavors. Be aware of your body’s fullness cues. Take smaller ...

Christmas cards are one of the 21st century’s lost arts

It’s December. It’s time for tree decorating, Christmas shopping, holiday baking, visits from Santa and other traditions. I plan to decorate and shop. I’m also thinking about a potential revival of one of my holiday pursuits. I’m thinking about doing cards with a Christmas letter for 2023. There would be about 15 of them for relatives and several close friends. I did cards and a letter for almost 20 years. It led to exchanges of about 50 cards. The process included relatives, friends, and former teachers. One year about a decade ago I didn’t do one and then never went ...

Municipal giving and receiving

For the city, this time of year means budget presentations, levy discussion and finalizing upcoming projects. This time of year also means giving and offering thanks for what has been received. What follows is a brief overview of what a city can give and receive. For the city, to appropriate or give away public funds as donations to any person, corporation, or private institution, the expenditure must further a public purpose and must be authorized by a statute or charter. There is no broad authority for donations, but some statutes allow specific support for certain organizations and ...

Lessons from a toddler

Thanksgiving is behind us, and I am thankful for that. Between the pre-meal munching, the actual feast, the gratuitous post-feast noshing, I feel as stuffed as, well, a Thanksgiving turkey. And don’t get me started on the leftovers, which somehow taste better the second time around. Black Friday sales aren’t held when they are because many folks don’t have much else to do the day after Thanksgiving. Black Friday takes place when it does because on the day after Thanksgiving many people notice that their clothes have suddenly become too tight to wear. This is why many Black Friday ...

‘A lot to be thankful for’

Thanksgiving week has come and again this year, we take time to pause and reflect on the blessings in our lives that we are thankful for. Marshall Public Schools has a lot to be thankful for, including the high levels of community support that enable us to continue to connect with our community youth each day as we work to prepare each learner for success. We are thankful for the children that you share with us and for the gift each of them is to our community. There is always a lot going on in our schools; I want to share a few updates with you again this month. We’ve recently ...

Five big reasons for everyone in Marshall to be thankful

On Thursday we celebrated Thanksgiving, one of the world’s most underrated holidays. Almost everyone stuffed themselves with turkey, potatoes, dressing, green bean casserole, cranberries, pie and whatever other food traditions are part of the family. Hopefully everyone also took plenty of time to socialize with loved ones. We also should take at least a minute or so to think about why we’re thankful. It was a mealtime tradition for my family, one that was always taken seriously. There were many things we could say. Choices include family, friends, good health, God, and much ...